KU vs. Missouri

Missouri coach Frank Haith made it clear once again after Kansas University’s 87-86 victory over MU on Saturday: He isn’t convinced the KU-MU Border War rivalry should end after this season.

“If you saw the atmosphere out here today and the atmosphere at our place, it’d be sad if we don’t play,” Haith said. “I just don’t understand it, and hopefully we can get to it and continue to play. This is too good of a game and too good of a rivalry to not play.”

The contest had many similarities to the teams’ first game on Feb. 4, with the roles reversed this time.

This time, Missouri was the road team that wasn’t getting the benefit of a home whistle. That included the final seconds of regulation when a potential game-winning layup by Phil Pressey was blocked by KU’s Thomas Robinson.

“It was a lot of contact,” Haith said. “Hey, some of the bounces don’t go your way.”

MU guard Marcus Denmon said he thought Pressey might have been bumped going into the lane.

“We are on the road, so we knew we probably wouldn’t get a call,” Denmon said. “We were just trying to get a good look at the basket.”

Haith had a few words with the officials about the no-call before overtime began.

“I was just hopeful that we could get the same contact calls on both ends,” Haith said. “If there’s going to be no-call, then there should be no-call on the other end. That’s the only thing I had a conversation with the officials about.”

Haith’s main beef appeared to be a whistle a few seconds earlier. With KU trailing, 75-72, Robinson put in a layup while drawing a foul on MU guard Michael Dixon.

Robinson completed the three-point play to tie it with 16 seconds left.

“I want to see what happened on that foul,” Haith said, before pointing at a media member and winking, indicating he wanted to say more but couldn’t.

MU led, 67-53, with 10:40 left in the second half before being held without a field goal for six minutes, 50 seconds.

During that time, KU went on a 13-2 run to close the deficit to 69-66.

“We had the game in our hands, just like they apparently had the game in their hands in Columbia,” MU senior guard Kim English said. “We had the game in our hands. We gave them a gift.”

Exactly. That second foul on T-Rob was not a charge. The guys foot was inside that half circle and he was moving. We get the right call and the first half goes a different way. But hey, I'm not complaining. That helped setup a great ending and allowed us to rip their hearts out in the end.

How many charges/flops did Mizzery get when we were there in Columbia? How about T-Robs first two fouls yesterday? It goes both ways. I think during the halftime break the refs must have seen replays of the first half and realized that they were snookered my MU and the flops and bad calls.

Both of T-Rob's first-half fouls were extremely questionable, as was Withey's second....even the national announcers said it. Without those fouls, we don't fall behind by 12 at half in the first place.

I watched the replay of Robinson's block 5 or 6 times....no way an official calls a foul on that block, late in a close game.

In an article earlier this year the defender can jump straight up which Robinson did. The late contact came from the offensive player flying full force into him through the air. The key play was the swat which came way before the offensive body crashed into Robinson.

I was going to point out the same thing, but you beat me to the punch april28. Take away the two bogus fouls on Thomas in the first half, and we aren't down 12 at halftime. I estimated to a buddy that Thomas' second foul (the one where the defender was both moving and had a foot inside the little arc meaning it should have been a "by rule" foul on the defender) had to be worth at least 10 points to Missouri. They can cry all they want, but there are a lot of blown calls in every game. I would argue that the bogus fouls on Thomas in the first half had the potential to more affect the outcome of the game than the one no call on Thomas' block.

They're also crying no foul on Tyshawn's last drive, but if there was no contact, why was Stevie Moore on the floor rubbing his leg after he hit the floor? What goes around comes around. They got the bogus charge calls in Columbia, we had a couple go our way this time.

Point 1:
Considering how few games Self loses, it's remarkable how graceful he is with the media when the losses happen. He takes it like a man and points out what he and his team should have done better. He leaves the absolutely disgraceful act of b*tching about calls to clowns like Ben Howland and Frank Haith.

Nice comments, crybaby Haith. They might as well have sent a couple drunk MU fans to do the press conference. The content of their "insights" would have been the exact same (although less intelligible).

Point 2:
One of mankind's greatest assets is a part of the brain called the prefontal cortex. We us it to simulate scenarios. This allows us to perform important tasks such as thinking ahead and putting yourself in other people's shoes by considering their incentives. The prefontal cortex is what makes a human smarter than all other animals. It's what makes a human, well, human.

Mizery fans and public officials have consistently stated--just as Haith states here-- that they "just don't understand" why the borderwar can't continue. Hmmm....

Is it really possible that they didn't foresee this as a consequence when they decided to leave the Big12?

Is it really possible that they can't compute the fact that KU/MU games are 100x less important to KU (both emotionally and financially) as they are to MU?

H E L L Y E S it's possible.

Some mizery fans/administratoin are just born stupid. Others are born with marginal intelligence, only to melt it away 1 hit of meth at a time.

Conclusion: mizery fans have no prefrontal cortex. They're sub-human.

See ya, losers. I truly hope you never get the H O N O R of playing KU ever again. I want this loss to sting for eternity.

First let me say this, I'am disappointed in Haith because his a good coach for messary to get. The way he talks about the refs calls in Allen fieldhouse this shows me he is just like any other messary coach worst than stooWART when he complained about KU. I'am a proud JHAWK born in raised in lawrence and KU Alumni. I have a strong heritage and truelly believe the media is somewhere in the back of there mind want haith to win COY becuase he is a minorty. Yes, I'm sure some people will redicule me, it is an unsaid topic but it's still there. The talking heads in the media won't give us our due about this game on how this was a classic and really was a tremendous accomplishment for this team for many reasons, Bill will not get the COY, not even Robinson will get the POY, and not a first seed either. UNC or michigan will get before KU will. I'am not only talking about Haith being minority it is about other topics too! So let me have it, I do not care!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gee Frank maybe your school should have considered this before you left the Big 12.

Have fun in the SEC Frank. Can't say Kansas administration didn't warn your Mizzou buddies. Sorry you, Alden and Pinkel are just now finding out the Big 12 shares it's tier 1 and tier 2 equally just like the SEC. By the way, the tier 3 is the same in the Big 12 as it is in the SEC. Why did your school leave again Frank?

Wait for Alabama to form their own network under the SEC's tier 3 then will you leave the SEC for the Big 10? Because guess what---the SEC's tier 3 doesn't stop Alabama from forming their own network. You've been suckered Frank by your employer which apparently was chomping too much Meth to know what it was doing!

This article sums up Missouri perfectly. I bunch of crying bitches. The coach and the players both. I don't remember anyone on the KU team talking s*** on the refs after the first game, even though we all know about the worst call in the history of the game.( The charge on T-Rob).

If Haith wants to complain about the refs he's wrong. He should thank them for giving T-Rob 2 bs calls and letting them get a 12 point lead. Not to mention the fouls on Whithy or at least his second foul. Secondly no ref in the history of basketball is gonna call a foul on a 6 10 player rejecting a 5 10 players shot with 2 seconds left and the contact coming after another player grabbed the ball.

With Haith's argument about the foul in Robinson at the end if the game it was obvious that he got his legs taken out. It's not like the bs in Columbia where we got shafted. Maybe if he said the foul on Taylor at the end of the game I would have agreed, but this is just Missouri being little bitches.

I'm glad that Coach Self won't bend to playing them anymore. They tried to screw us over by going to the SEC (terrible move BTW) and to win the last game ever (depending on certain things) is awesome.

When a replay comes out for this game, pay attention to the number of times Missouri guards extend their offarm and push off.

They did it all game. Look at the last play of the game for an extreme example where Robinson goes flying.

Also the Robinson block was clean by the book. He jumped straight up and owned his space legally. He didn't come flying sideways. Any contact that came after he swatted it came from the guard flying horizontally through the air. There's no foul there unless a picky official wants to call a charge.

Plus look at Taylor's drive again. He wasn't fouled hard but he was certainly fouled.

I think what makes Mizzou mad about this game is they don't have a legitimate foul they can complain about but they know we have three very legitimate beefs, two of which allowed Mizzou to get their big lead in the first place---Withey and Robinson.

The MU coach has "a lot of guts" to be complaining about a referee's call. Despite what players are always told, "play defense with your feet not your hands," his team couldn't play defense if they couldn't use their hands to push players, grab players, tug at players jerseys, etc. Rarely are these pushes called. If you have the game on replay note the shove that the MU player puts on Young while driving to the basket during the last play of the game. The MU guard is kept from shooting by Robinson and passes out for another MU player to shoot the last shot which providence kept from going in. The numerous times KU's big men came stumbling out of a rebound skirmish doesn't mean they are light on their feet, it means they are getting pushed big time. So Haith, pi z off. I am tired of playing you losers. BTW take Vern Lunkhead and his partner with you to cover your next game. They ought to be on your payroll if they aren't already.

There was nothing wrong with the way that Lundquist and Kellogg called the game. I was thrilled that I didn't have to listen to that d***head Bob Knight call it. And Lundquist had a good solid game, not making the mistakes he made last time.

After getting home from the game That I would rank with some of the "greatest games of all time", I look on my recorded copy of the game and you could clearly see that when Robinson went up for the lay-up he was undercut. He was hit so hard in mid-air, he fell hard on his butt. It was the right call.

Frank. It is not just the KU Administration that doesn't want you. It is the fans. 87% of KU fans say they don't want you by the KC Star poll. Yet 87% of your fans don't want to go. In a couple of years when the Big 12 keeps rolling on without you I would not want to be Mike Alden, The Chancellor or the Board of Curators who made the fateful decision to leave the premier midwestern conference for one in the eastern time zone. This is a banner day for all KU fans!

Maybe the dumbest decision in college sports history. But we all know the real reason they left......zero basketball titles....at least in the SEC they'll have a chance to win one if Calipari has a down year.

I do agree with most of the sentiments on here about the fouls. It does go both ways. Heck of a game a game either way! What most dont understand is that Haith is only in his first year at Mizzou and this is his FIRST REAL TASTE of a RIVALRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Why wouldnt he want it to continue? After 8 years in Miami..............who does Miami have a rivalry with in basketball? They do have a team dont they? He has never had the opportunity to coach in games of this magnitude before..........I feel for him because he does see the importance of rivalries such as these. Most DONT want KU/MU to play anymore..............I acknowledge thier griefs and dislikes...............but for myself, as a KU fan of 50 odd years, I do hope that they can figure something out benificial for both teams and do at least one game a year on a nuetral site! Be sad to lose 107 years of playing and 158 years of history. KU done what it needed for its school, MU done the same thing. Texas is the money hungry school in this whole mess...........

I completely agree with all the comments about the block not being called, and I thought the two calls in the first half that sat Withey and T-Rob were very questionable. But you know what the MU players and coaches sound like? This board and every other Kansas board after the first game. That's why everyone just needs to bite their tongue and not complain about officiating. The officials do NOT have the benefit of replay and they are calling a very fast game. Every team gets bad calls and whining about it is exactly that...whining!

The difference is the boards are full of fans who by definition will whine and thats ok because were fans. Players and coaches are in a difference category and should not whine because their actions control the outcome of the game more than the refs. There always are a few questionable calls in a game but the control of the outcome is mostly always in the hands of the coaches and players and in the case of a raucous home court, the fans. The refs did not give up a 19 point lead -MU did . The refs did not erase a 19 point lead - KU did.
Fans will whine by definition. Coaches and players should shut their mouths and do a better job of coaching and playing.

In his 7 years at Miami he produced exactly one trip to the NCAA's...not one winning conference record (his best finish was 5th)...and an overall record barely above .500 (averaging 14 losses per year).

So now he's 25-4 at Missouri and the idiots inhabiting press row in college arenas across the country are equating his performance with Hannibal crossing the Alps.

The only qualities that Haith has exhibited are...Being able to find his way to Columbia, Mo...inherit a senior laden team full of sharpshooters...and not screw it up.

i disagree completely that the calls on robinson were "marginal". they were flat wrong!!! the first one clearly showed that he LITERALLY DID NOT TOUCH ANYONE!!!! young kinda collided with the guy "behind" both of them, but neither he nor robinson pushed anyone. robinson most definitely did not push a mizery or KU player. calls go both ways...

That rebounding foul call on Thomas was the worst call of the game and was a huge, huge swing which took points off the board for KU, and, I think, directly led to the big cushion Mizzou built in the last 6 minutes of the first half.

Having lived in SEC country for several years after college, I can tell you that those schools only care about 2 things when it comes to programs outside of their conference. How many championships have you won, and are you from the south. Mizzou has no championships and they are not considered part of the south (simply being a slave state doesn't count). Mizzou is not going to develop any rivalries in the SEC because they simply do not care about them. The only chance of a rivalry that have is with Arkansas because they stole Anderson. When the Mizzou seniors leave after this season, Mizzou basketball will go straight back to mediocrity and the fans know it. Haith knows it. Keeping the rivalry with KU is the only shot they will have for games like yesterday. No one is going to tune into Mizzou vs Arkansas in basketball. No one is going to tune in to Mizzou vs Bama in football. Their relevance ended when the begged their way into the SEC and terminated the Border War. That's on Mizzou.

The bogus charging call on Robinson with about 4 min. to go in the first half was huge. Instead of T-Rob leaving the game with two fouls it should have been English leaving with two fouls-a big swing there.
Also in overtime there was a loose rebound under MU's basket and Teahan got called for a foul. My replay shows him getting shoved by Ratliff. Ratliff hit two free throws.
The last play of the game started with Dixson reaching out and shoving Elijah away so he could take the inbounds.
They talked all year about how Missouri had made made more free throws than their opponents had even shot. I don't think they bitched about that.
Now if Wichita State can knock them out of the NCAA tournament it would end perfectly.

I want to be at the Paige when these SEC schools come rolling in and people are rifling through their programs to see who the coach is and where the school is located. Enjoy those home and home match ups with the Gamecocks and the Commodores.

As for us the games with Silo Tech will take on an even greater significance and easily replace anything we may have lost with you. Texas has been our basketball competitor for B12 championships not you. So watch next Saturday and see if we have lost any juice with you leaving the conference. Finally I was watching the ESPN highlights and saw Corn getting thumped by Michigan State and had to stop and think that it was just a year ago that they and Colorado left and I had hardly thought of either of them until that footage. It will be the same about you.

Maybe we could continue the rivaly under certain conditions? Since Missouri took their ball, like babies, and bolted to the SEC for more money, maybe we could charge them about a $1,000,000 fee to play us, since they are going to be so flush with cash.

Jeff.W. reported at Columbia English and others were kneeing him behind the legs getting his knees to buckle, and at this game, did they step on his ankle to get it to roll over? Can't tell by the tape, if that is so, then glad we tore Denman's shoulder apart late./...

Could Coach Haith want to keep the border war going so he could have a sellout for a non conference game in Columbia. It would be a big boost to get to a 13,000 average attendance. That would net him a cool $100,000 bonus at end of year. It looks like their average this year will be about 11,800.

MU started the ball rolling by openly courting the Big 10. Didn't the Governor and Chancellor publicly announced their desire to join a league with "higher" academic standing, only to end up with egg on their faces when the Big 10 asked Nebraska?
Isn't it ironic that after all the hoopla about "higher" academic standards; they jump to the SEC - a conference with much lower academic standing than the Big 12- as soon as they are asked?

KU playing MU is the equivalent of your homely girlfriend (whom you have only kept because you fell sorry for her) tells you she is moving to a single wide with the guy with the pick up truck and the gun rack, and yet she still wants you to take her out to dinner to a place with actual silverware and table clothes in exchange for a booty call...the answer is and should always be: good bye and good riddance.

As far as HC Haith comments, a good reporter should have asked:
Coach Haith, in view of the fact that most everybody agrees that the refs gave you the game in Columbia with 3 outrageously bad calls at the end of the game, are you sure you want to talk about bad calls?
I wonder what the answer would have been.